Things About iPhone DFU Mode and Recovery Mode

--Wednesday, Nov.09, 2016

"Hi, Selena. My name is Bill. I am still confused with DFT Mode and Recovery Mode though
there are quite lots of articles about one or both of them. However, those articles are quite
ambiguous indeed. Would you please sort me out on them? Thanks in advance."

I've receive this email days ago. To be honest, I was in trouble with the same situation like Bill
is. Actually, DFU Mode and Recovery Mode are really confusing. Also, I've read some articles
that even still mess up with the two, so that's why this article comes out. Hope it helps you to
make out things about DFU Mode and Recovery Mode.

Part 1: What are DFU Mode and Recovery Mode?

What is DFU Mode?

DFU Mode is an abbreviation for 'Device Firmware Upgrade Mode', which allows iOS device
to be repaired from any state. DFU Mode allows users to put iPhone/iPad into where it can
interact with iTunes but does not load the iPhone operating system or boot loader, which allows
users to change and choose the desired firmware to install onto iPhone/iPad/iPod. For example,
one would use DFU mode if he'd like to re-install a previous version of iOS, jailbreak iPhone or
unlock SIM.

What is Recovery Mode?

Recovery Mode is a failsafe in iBoot that is used to reflash the device with a new OS, whether
the currently installed one is somehow damaged or the device is undergoing an upgrade via
iTunes. In fact, Recovery Mode is a method to force a restore. However, you might not realize
that you've been using Recovery Mode when you're updating software on iPhone or restoring
iPhone from an iTunes/iCloud backup.

Compared with Recovery Mode, DFU Mode is for dealing with systematic issues, like
updating/downgrading, jailbreaking and others while Recovery Mode is mainly for data
restoration and software update.

Part 2: What is DFU Mode Used for?

Since DFU Mode is strongly connected to iPhone Operating System, it would be a great helper
when you're confronting any systematic problems. If you'd like to not trudge a long way to
Apple Store asking for help, you should learn about DFU Mode. DFU Mode enables users to
address problems about iOS at home on their own. Especially, if you want to downgrade your
iPhone/iPad/iPod to the previous version of iOS, you have to use DFU Mode to do so.

Part 3: What is Recovery Mode Used for?

Recovery Mode comes in handy when your iOS device is under the following situations:

iTunes doesn't recognize your device or says it's in Recovery Mode.

You see the Apple logo on your screen for several minutes with no progress bar.

You see the Connect to iTunes screen.

In these situations, you might need to use Recovery Mode to restore your iPhone/iPad/iPod,
which would install official iOS updates or restore from a backup in order to repair any
software damages.

Part 4: What are the Differences between DFU Mode and Recovery Mode?

There are also some differences between DFU Mode and Recovery Mode, please read on and
make it clear that you know how to distinguish them.

1. The steps to enter DFU Mode and Recovery Mode are also different.

Enter DFU Mode

On an iPhone 6s and earlier, iPad, or iPod touch: Plug your iPhone/iPad into the computer with
a USB cable and power off the device. Next, press and hold the "Power" button for 3 seconds
as well as press and hold the "Home" and "Power" buttons for 10 seconds. Then, release the
"Power" button but keep holding down the "Home" button. After about 15 seconds you will be
prompted by iTunes saying that it has detected a device in DFU Mode.

On an iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus: Connect iPhone 7/7 Plus via USB cable to the iTunes on
computer and turn off the device. After that, press and hold down the "Power" button for three
seconds and hold the "Power" button and "Volume Down" button together for 10 seconds.
Then, release the Power" button but keep pressing the "Volume Down" button until the screen
shows nothing but a black interface.

Enter Recovery Mode

On an iPhone 6s and earlier, iPad, or iPod touch: Press and hold the Sleep/Wake and Home
buttons at the same time. Don't release the buttons when you see the Apple logo. Keep holding
both buttons until you see the recovery mode screen.

On an iPhone 7 or iPhone 7 Plus: Press and hold the Sleep/Wake and Volume Down buttons at
the same time. Don't release the buttons when you see the Apple logo. Keep holding both
buttons until you see the recovery mode screen.

Note that it's much difficult to enter DFU Mode rather than Recovery Mode. You have to
follow precise timing to enter DFU Mode. Otherwise, it would fail.

2. One of the differences of the two Modes is the interface they present. When your device
successfully gets into DFU Mode, the screens become blank and no logos are presented.
However, as opposed to DFU Mode, if your iPhone/iPad/iPod enters into Recovery Mode, the
icon of iTunes will show up on the screen with an image of USB connected, prompting you to
connect your device to the latest version of iTunes. Most of the time, it's the main way to tell
whether your device is in DFU Mode or Recovery Mode.

3. Recovery Mode makes use of iBoot during restoring or upgrading your iPhone/iPad/iPod
while DFU mode bypasses iBoot. Because DFU disregards iBoot, you can downgrade your
firmware in DFU mode. You cannot downgrade firmware in Recovery Mode, but Recovery
Mode will install the latest version of iOS on your device. DFU mode allows your iOS device to
interact with iTunes without a firmware upgrade. With Recovery Mode, iTunes will automatically
upgrade your firmware to the latest version.

4. DFU mode allows you to make use of custom firmware such as Cydia and other Jailbreak
tools. Recovery Mode is not so customizable and will only upgrade your firmware. While both
DFU mode and Recovery Mode can solve some system problems, you may ask what the
difference between them is. The answer would be iBoot.

I'm sure you've gained a brand new knowledge of DFU Mode and Recovery Mode so far
after reading this post. I'd be glad if you now know the difference between the two Modes.
However, if any section is described unclear, you're welcome to point it out. Thanks for helping
me improving the content. However, if your iOS device is stuck in DFU Mode or Recovery Mode, please try iOS System Recovery to get it fixed.